The Way the Story Goes by Samantha Chase

Mia Kingsley, thriller writer, is in Magnolia Sound battling a bad case of writer's block. She escaped from Boston because her house is being renovated and the noise was too much. Beach in the off season? Why yes, that might help her write. And being around her best friend/assistant might help as well. Not helping? The construction sounds coming from next door. They start early, end late, and are often accompanied by 80s songs and a man's off-key singing.

Austin Coleman needed some time away from Baltimore. His hot temper made it easy to jump at the chance to do a renovation for his friend's brother. While Austin is an architect by trade, he can apparently jump in and do some... carpentry? general construction? (not really explained in the book) to keep the house moving along. He didn't realize that there was someone living next door. Nor does he look before he heaves a sink over the deck, narrowly missing Mia.

And thus begins their romance. Chase's books are usually a smidge under 200 pages and I think they could often be longer. In this book, we don't really get to see Austin grow past the issues he had that got him out of Baltimore. Nor do we ever see Mia really standing up to her parents. It's a short book and I really did believe that they might have an HEA because they did, for the most part, talk to each other. 

Three stars

Follows Last Beautiful Girl

Followed by The Way the Story Goes

This book came out January 12th, 2021

Ebook borrowed from Hoopla

Opinions are my own